Middlesbrough (0) 0 Chelsea (1) 5

England and Chelsea captain John Terry hailed manager Luiz Felipe Scolari on Sunday night for ensuring style now accompanies the substance which made the club so successful under Jose Mourinho.

Terry twice lifted the Premier League trophy during Mourinho's low-risk reign as manager and now his club is already on course to reclaim their crown following their biggest away win since Wolverhampton Wanderers were crushed in similar fashion five years ago when Claudio Ranieri was in charge.

This Teesside landslide meant Chelsea remain top of the Premier League on goal difference an area that counted against the Stamford Bridge club last season as the title race against Manchester United went to the wire.

United were superior when it came to goal-scoring after Avram Grant succeeded Mourinho but so far Scolari's adventurous approach looks likely to give Chelsea the upper hand in that department.

"In the first two years after Jose Mourinho took over we had a strong mentality where we'd go to places and shut up shop to get the three points," Terry said, "but now we're eager to really push on and get that second goal and kill the game.

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"Of course, sometimes players are thinking at the back of their mind that 1-0 will be good enough when a team may be on top and we might try to hold out for a one-nil but nine times out of 10 we'll be eager to push on and really kill teams off.

"That's the difference between then and now. When the second or third goal goes in the opposition know it's game over and the fans start to leave." Terry continued: "It's very enjoyable to be playing under him [Scolari].

"Training has been great, and all our passing and movement really came together against Middlesbrough. We got the goals at the end of it and could have got a few more.

"He's eager. He wants us to play from the back but one thing he stressed right from the start is that we must work hard for each other. There will be games when we don't play well but if we're fighting, working and moving for each other we have all the chance in the world."

For Terry, this incredibly lopsided affair settled a score as Chelsea had twice been humbled at the Riverside under Mourinho's tenure.

"We know it is never easy to come to a place like Middlesbrough and over the years they've made it very difficult for us," Terry added.

"But this was one of the best displays I've ever seen us put in. Confidence is high and hopefully we can take that on to what is another massive game for us on Wednesday in the Champions League against Roma.

"We'll be matching ourselves against one of best sides in world but at the minute we're playing great football and what we have to maintain is the work-rate and commitment we have for each other."

Despite an imperious display and customary goal by Frank Lampard, Terry singled out Juliano Belletti for praise after the former Barcelona player scored with a peach of a 30-yarder.

"People who haven't been playing every week have shown what great professionals they are," Terry said. "There's no arguing or whingeing, they get on with it and Juliano in particular has been a revelation. Right-back or centre midfield, he's been different class. That sort of player makes this Chelsea squad what it is – great."

Salomon Kalou, twice, and Florent Malouda also helped themselves to goals as the prospect of a record-breaking scoreline loomed before Chelsea eased off.

Boro manager Gareth Southgate added: "Scolari has Chelsea playing in a very attractive fashion, but they've got fantastic players. Even when you press them, individual technical ability allows them to play their way out of trouble.

"Scolari's very knowledgeable and I'm a young manager learning his trade but I'm sure he has been through experiences like this 25 years ago. We are not a Champions League team or club, but it galvanises you to work even harder to make things better."